Birding Articles
Field notes, identification, migration and conservation in Britain, with emphasis on East Anglia.
Patch Birding: What Regular Visits Teach You
A birding patch is a place you return to regularly. Getting to know its birds helps you learn their calls, track their behaviour, and notice seasonal changes. Accurate lists and counts also build a dated record that can contribute to research and local conservation.
Do Robins Migrate?
Some UK robins migrate, while most stay close to home. Robins from northern and eastern Europe also arrive for winter.
Early birds: Wonderchicken and the origins of modern birds
Wonderchicken brought the deep history of ducks and gamebirds into focus. New skulls, longer legs and Arctic hatchlings are changing the picture of early birds.
The Close Pass: Why Swifts Fly at Nesting Walls
More than 30 Swifts gathered around an established nesting house, with young-looking birds repeatedly turning towards entrances and empty gaps. The close passes suggested prospecting, but also resembled the little-understood behaviour known as “banging”.
Why Blackcaps Now Spend Winter in Britain
Why do Blackcaps now spend winter in Britain instead of migrating to southern Europe? Discover how bird ringing, genetics and garden feeding have revealed one of the most remarkable examples of rapid evolution in a wild bird—and what it tells us about migration and climate change.
Why Do Birds Sing at Dawn?
Discover why birds sing at dawn and what the dawn chorus really means. Exploring the latest research on Reed Buntings, bird song, female choice and extra-pair mating, this evidence-based guide reveals how modern science is reshaping our understanding of one of nature's greatest spectacles.